Just because something gets broken, torn, or old doesn’t mean we need to throw it away. 92 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in landfills in the U.S. every year as it is. But there are ways to prolong the life of an item of clothing. One of them is mending, and it can be quite an art form, too.
People in this Reddit community know that. They’re into what’s called ‘visible mending,’ the art of repairing clothes, furniture, textiles, and in some cases even cars by displaying their flaws instead of hiding them. So, scroll through this list of stunning mending projects and perhaps it’ll inspire you to prolong your garment’s life too!
To know more about the benefits and joys of visible mending, Bored Panda reached out to fiber artist and author of Mending Matters and Make Thrift Mend Katrina Rodabaugh. She kindly agreed to tell us why mending clothes instead of throwing them away can be so joyous and shared some practical tips for aspiring menders. Read her insights below!
#1 Embroidered Couch Repair!
Image source: antekamnia
#2 Third Attempt At Darning!
Image source: Guilty_Piglet5731
#3 Short Had Holes. Made Some Fish About It
Image source: ImmunoComplements
#4 I Covered Up A Wine Stain On My Favorite Dress With A Cross Stitch Flower (X-Post From /R/Crossstitch)
Image source: aly5321
#5 Fixed A Small Hole In The Sleeve Of My Boyfriend’s Jacket. Do I Tell Him Or Let Him Find It?
Image source: Cute-Significance758
#6 Really Happy With How This Came Out, Dandelion Seed Head Over Some Small Tears In A Shirt
Image source: Hippophae
#7 First Visible Mend!
Image source: Kamtasticality
#8 My Boyfriend’s Mom Had A Medical Emergency And The Emts Cut Her Favorite Jacket. I Mended It For Her Christmas Present
Image source: safety_pin_era
#9 Advice Please! A Great Idea Or Absolutely Horrendous?!
Image source: PearlWhite24
#10 Denim Opus Complete!
Image source: kittyissocrafty
#11 Patched A Hole In The Crotch Of My Jeans
Image source: gnome_census
#12 Fixed Some Holes With Bees
Image source: Knautia-arvensis
#13 I Sewed Some Doilies Into Both Knees Of My Jeans (My First Mend Ever)!
Image source: DataHasRedHair
#14 Had A Stain On A Shirt, Fixed It With A Little Ducky!
Image source: Alarmed_Shoulder_386
#15 Cold Snap Here, So I Needed To Patch A Hole In Favorite Winter Coat
Image source: Responsible-Aside-18
#16 First Attempt At Sashiko, Covering A Grouping Of Stubborn Stains
Image source: freshahava
#17 Ripped Jeans
Image source: vera_luna
#18 My First Visible Mend And First Embroidery Ever!
Image source: _Something_Classy
#19 First Time Mending & Embroidering!
Image source: _megaronii_
#20 My Favorite Pair Of Shorts Ripped And So I Thought I’d Give Vm A Try
Image source: strawberrymystic
#21 A Snail To Fix A Torn Pocket Corner
Image source: pahein-kae
#22 Added A Little Strawberry To My Daughter’s Damaged Shorts
Image source: momHandJobDotCom
#23 Mended My Toddler’s Shirt With Some Mushrooms!
Image source: wollphilie
#24 Been Going Through It; Mending My Clothes As An Attempt To Mend My Self
Image source: sparklesquidd
#25 The Adhesive That Holds Together The Covering On My Headphones Ear Cups Came Apart
Image source: MainlandX
#26 Darning Pattern
Image source: Sea_Solution_9837
#27 Salvaging A Sentimental Sweatshirt
Image source: Stick-Senior
#28 Promised To Mend My Husband’s Pants Forever
Image source: incitatus24
#29 Rescued My Favourite Hoodie
Image source: Not4mebut2u
#30 I Thought You Guys Might Appreciate My Pants
Image source: helchowskinator
#31 Ripped Jeans
Follow Us
